City taking action on combining services
 1 comment(s)
By ROD STETZER
rod.stetzer@lee.net
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 1:05 PM CST
The world is getting smaller. At least it seems that way after the Chippewa Falls City Council on Tuesday took several steps toward a blending of services with Lake Hallie and Chippewa County.
In one case, the blending is intended to be temporary.
The council voted 5-1 (council member Greg Dachel was absent) to allow Chippewa Falls Police Chief Wayne Nehring serve as interim police chief for the village of Lake Hallie for a maximum of 90 days. The city will bill Lake Hallie $100 per hour for Nehring’s services.
Lake Hallie is looking for a successor to Police Chief Gale Haas, who retired Jan. 2.
Council President Dennis Doughty voted against letting Nehring serve, saying the city has stretched its staff already. Nehring does much work already for the Chippewa Falls department, Doughty said.
“I wish they had found another way to fill their interim needs,” he said of Lake Hallie.
In a related matter, the city’s Police and Fire Commission is scheduled to hold a joint meeting with the Lake Hallie Police Commission at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22 at the Lake Hallie Village Hall.
On the agenda is a presentation by Chief Dan Vergin of the Everest Metro Police Department.
The council on Tuesday also voted 6-0 to accept the recommendation of the city’s Transportation Committee to share two services with Chippewa County.
The first proposal would combine the Chippewa Falls and Chippewa County tactical law enforcement teams.
There is no set date for that to happen, council member Susan Zukowski said. She said both the city and county were looking to see if there was support for a combined tactical team.
Another proposal backed by the council authorizes Mayor Greg Hoffman to tell Chippewa County that the city plans to dissolve the city dispatch center in 2010 and request that the county act as the dispatch center for city emergency services.
The letter of intent the city will give the county will say the city wants to transfer the city dispatch to the county no later than Feb. 1, 2011.
In other action:
n The city’s fire department maintained its three rating by the Insurance Service Office, City Administrator Ron Singel said.
“An ISO downgrade would have meant higher insurance rates,” Singel said.
Fire Chief Thomas Larson said the city has maintained a three ISO rating since 1991. Hoffman said that’s a testament to the commitment the city has to maintain the safety of its citizens.
n Hoffman reported the city received $792,000 as part of the first payment by Chippewa Crossing Partners, LLC in buying city land for a development along Seymour Cray Sr. Boulevard. Much of that money, $500,000, will be used by the city to connect Alexander Street in the southside of the city to the development area.
n Four opponents of a sand processing plant in Chippewa Falls spoke. The council at its Dec. 16 approved a developer’s agreement for the plant.
Dave Martineau of Chippewa Falls said the price tag of the project should have obligated the city to first get more public input. He called for the council to vote again on setting up a Tax Incremental Financing District to help pay for infrastructure improvements around the project site or hold a referendum.
“More taxpayers should have had a voice,” in the project, Martineau said.
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lafayettegirl wrote on Jan 9, 2009 10:16 AM:
The city is billing Lake Hallie $100 a hour for Nehring services. How much you wanna bet that guy is being over paid. Come on he isnt at Lake Hallie full time. Only part time. Thats a little excessive. "